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Summary: INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!, by Eric Montgomery
Review: I liked The Terminator alot! I thought it made alot of sense.
I liked the whole story to it, so I reccommend you get the Terminator cause its a great movie!
Rating:
Summary: State of the Art ....... in 1984
Review: State of the art, for 1984. A perfect role for the Schwarzenegger, an emotionless robot. Arnold has never been a good actor, and this movie was the perfect showcase for that ability. He didn't have to act, and he did a good job.James Cameron turned in his usual well detailed showcase, the whole plot and storyline were fantastic. Michael Beihn and Linda Hamilton were the real actors of this film, and their performances were believable enough to carry the film, especially Hamilton's.
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Summary: A Great Sci-Fi Flick
Review: In spite of its low budget and sometimes cheesy visual effects, "The Terminator" is definitely a spectacular sci-fi/action film. James Cameron made it big with the story of a cyborg with human flesh and blood that travels from the future to the present in order to kill the mother of the leader -who hasn't been born yet -of the human resistance who fights the machines in the future. Arnold Schwarzenegger is great playing the terminator, a mean machine that has no feelings or remorse that will not stop until it completes its mission.
The documentaries on this special edition DVD are fantastic, with Arnold and Cameron discussing what they went through during the filming of this classic, plus recent interviews that offer us an insight of the production, among other things. This is a must-have DVD.
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Summary: KILLER MOVIE
Review: TERMINATOR is the first film in the action-packed trilogy telling the story of a woman destined to have a child who is destined to become mankind's only hope, and the machines trying to destroy it. The entire saga is extremely entertaining. This film in particular is also really fun. In the first film, a T-101 model is sent back through time with the mission of exterminating Sarah Connor, the to-be mother of the man who will one-day, save the world. Luckily, a soldier, Kyle Reese is sent back to protect the future, and the woman who holds it in her hands. After all they have been through, Kyle Reese surprisingly ends up being the father of John Connor. It is puzzling, but all of the great time-travel stories are. These movies tell a classic story. This film smashed at the box office. The saga would then continue with T-2:JUDGEMENT DAY, in which another, more advanced terminator, the T-1000, is sent back in time to exterminate John Connor, when he was only a child, and the only thing to protect him is a protector sent back in time, another model of the T-101. Linda Hamilton returns in that film as Sarah Connor, who is haunted by the nightmarish knowledge of the inevitable judgement day. She is broken out of the mental institute in which she is imprisoned because she attempted to destroy Cyberdine Systems, but was shot and arrested. She was pronounced insane when she tried to warn everyone of the day that has haunted her dreams since 1984. The film makes for a great adventure, and what I think may be one of the greatest action films in the history of cinema. I also think that it is the best Terminator installment in the entire saga. The latest installment would be TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES in which Sarag Connor is already deceased due to Lukemia as of the year 1997, and yet another model of the T-101 is sent back to protect adult John Connor (portrayed in this film by Nick Stahl, as opposed to Edward Furlong in T-2) and his future wife, who is to also be murdered along with any of their other liutenants by the newest and most dangerous terminator, The T-X, or terminatrix, played by the incredibly sexy Kristanna Loken(that isn't meant to be rude or obnoxious, but she is quite attractive). Although I don't feel that T-3 was able to top any of the other TERMINATOR films, it is quite interesting. The movie is a bit different from the other films, being that it isn't from the entire original crew. It is not from James Cameron, director and co-writer of the first two films. John Connor's future wife is played by the also incredibly sexy Claire Danes(again that isn't meant to be rude or obnoxious). Anyway, I forgot that I was reviewing THE TERMINATOR. The bottom line is that this movie is really good. Audiences who have never seen this film and judge movies according to today's standards may not enjoy this film. It is old-fashioned, but give it some credit, it was made in the 80s. Also, Linda Hamilton is really hot in this movie(again, that isn't meant to be rude and obnoxious).
Rating:
Summary: a sci-fi classic
Review: Arnold is a favorite target of jokes now that he's older and has slipped, but he had quite a run, whether you begin the count with Conan or with Terminator. He was some moneymaker. And you can't find a better hero for a sci-fi thriller. Who else has those eyes, or that gaptooth or that accent? I consider the original Terminator to be slightly better than the sequel T2, which no doubt gets added help from its ground breaking, and still astonishing special visual effects. (Come to think about it, how far has ILM gone after Robert Patrick's T-1000 in "Terminator 2"? Not very far. You have Mystique from X-Men and that clunky CGI Hulk. Even Mystique is just a revision of T-1000.) Terminator gets my nod for the original story, which not only changed the way we average folks view reality (a phenomenon that must have inspired a few grins from physicists who understood Einstein), but also inspired such movies as "Back to the Future" and "Matrix". What else do I like about Terminator? Like all those classic surprise hits, it wasn't made to actually become a classic, with its creators expecting little out of it. You know, like Casablanca, the first Star Wars, Blair Witch and Funny Cide (the horse). I also like Terminator because Arnold was a villain, and he had always been better as a villain, whether as himself in "Pumping Iron" or as Mr. Freeze in "Batman and Robin". Or as the Terminator. There's something almost supernatural about the scare factor of this cyborg. It's simple, brutal logic (I don't know how Sarah Connor looks like, so why not simply knock off everyone named Sarah Connor?). Its very concept, a robotic assassin that passes itself off as regular guy, is scary. In Kyle Reese's flashback, when an unnamed terminator penetrates the humans' lair and wreaks such havoc Reese loses Sarah Connor's picture, there was the fleeting moment where Reese sees the terminator through the flames, its red eyes flashing, almost something out of a horror movie, a vampire or a werewolf, a ruthless, unstoppable monster. And of course, those naked terminators, shorn of their human skin, prowl like an army of skeletons, eyes in their sockets relentlessly seeking human prey. We've always been fascinated by things that could eat us ("Jaws", lions, crocodiles, vampire movies). The Terminator was such a one. When the police department shootout commences, you cannot help but cheer for the Terminator, at the back of your mind perhaps those glorious Westerns that had the hero fighting a whole gang of evil gunfighters singlehanded, or Toshiro Mifune in "Yojimbo" facing similar odds. You cheer, but it's the bad guy you're rooting for. This guy was cool. But the best thing I like about Terminator is it doesn't apologize. Nor does it pretend. Compared to the sequel, which drowned in the young John Connor's (Edward Furlong) brimming political correctness, the original Terminator movie was a shin breaker. It doesn't just rock, it's a rock.
Rating: 
Summary: Mean, lean fighting machine
Review: James Cameron was sick as a dog in Rome. He was working the on post-production of his first film as a director (Piranha 2)when he dreamed up The Terminator. Although it wasn't offically acknowledged for some time, Cameron was inspired by The Outer Limits and episodes like Harlan Ellison's Solider. Regardless, of the inspiration Cameron's take on the material created a new subgenre within film--tech noir. The Terminator works amazingly well even when it has no reason to do so. Cameron's understanding of moviemaking along with that of his collaborators Gale Anne Hurd (his co-writer on the final screenplay helping to flesh out Sarah Conner's character among many other things), Stan Winston (who build the Terminator exoskeletons and worked on the make up), music composer Brad Fidel and cinematographer Adam Greenberg helped create a viable action packed science fiction classic of the 80's. The plot is as familar as the taste of chicken noodle soup--The Terminator is send into the past to kill Sara Conner. Conner will be the mother of the human resistance movement. He becomes instrumental in defeating Skynet a computer software program that literally takes control of the world and uses the weapons humans have developed to attempt to wipe out humanity. John Conner, Sarah's son in the future, sends back one of his soliders Kyle to save Sarah's life and prevent the Terminator from taking her life. What ensues is a battle between human and machine that acts as a microversion of what is going to occur in the future. While the popular sequel is a better film all around, the original has grit missing from Cameron's slicker effort. The third film in the series Terminator 3: Rise of the Machine manages to recapture some of the grit of the original and combine it with the operatic and convoluted plot of the second film. Whatever The Terminator lacks in sophisticated visual effects, it more than makes up for in solid storytelling and a b-movie sensibility that works well. While I like the two sequels, The Terminator established a new subgenre in film and helped spawn countless imitations. It created a new template. The transfer is very good although it still has quite a few analog artifacts and defects. Its doubtful there will ever be a 100% clean version unless someone comes up with a program to fix analog defects. Still, the transfer is crisp, clean and sharp looking. The disc is an interesting amalgamation of two different discs. The movie is on one side in a dual layered format for optimal visual quality. The transfer is from a new digital master from a high definition transfer (which might explain why so many flaw are evident). The remix into 5.1 sound is also high quality as well and very good. The original mono soundtrack is included for comparison. There isn't an audio commentary for the entire picture like T2 but there is a sequence of deleted scenes with Cameron's comments on them.There are a number of original storyboards included on the second side along with the other supplentary material. This is on a single layered side of the disc. Additionally, trailers, new interviews and a new documentary are included. All in all, this version is an improvement on the very good laserdisc from 7 years ago.
Rating:
Summary: B-LEVEL FILM GETS A-LEVEL DVD TREATMENT!
Review: "The Terminator," the B-Level action film that launched Arnold Schwarzenneger as a bona-fide action star, gets a great DVD release! The digitallly-remastered video and new 5.1 audio sound mix give the film a spectacular look and feel on DVD. The double-sided DVD-18 Disc is loaded with extras that will truly entertain. While the DVD may not live up to the "Extreme DVD" release of the bigger-and-better "Terminator 2 - Judgment Day," this will certainly hold up as a must-own for years to come!
Movie Grade: B+ (4 Stars)
DVD Grade: A+ (5 Stars)
Rating:
Summary: A true action sci-fi classic
Review: The original Terminator movie became an instant classic action movie for Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and director James Cameron. With T3 coming out, here's a review of that original movie. First, you have to remember that in 1984 when this first came out, the whole gritty future-view a la Blade Runner (1982) was just taking hold. Along comes Terminator which melds that future-is-bleak theme with modern day action, and throw a muscle-man and tender-turned-tough woman into the mix. I am a HUGE fan of this movie for many, many reasons. You have Linda Hamilton as a normal, every day woman who resists what is going on - and in the end finds her strength to go on. That transformation is just amazing. You have the love story between her and the 'normal man' who is sent back in time to try to defend her. And of course you have the 'machine' - Arnold - who single-mindedly works to track her down and destroy her. There are just so many touches in the movie that show the care that James Cameron put into the film, making it truly the 'baby' of him, Arnold and Linda. This isn't your average action movie where the high bodycount and infinite ammo are key. It is a movie with a lot of thought, with well laid out backgrounds and the time changes between the "current future" of 2029 and the "current present" of 1984 show great connections. Linda Hamilton in this was always a huge role model to me and many of my friends. She wasn't special. She didn't have ninja training or robotic eyeballs. But she saw what had to be done, and she gathered her strength and did it. A great movie in its own right, and a must-see for anyone interested in T3!
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Summary: The best sci-fi film of all time!
Review: "THE TERMINATOR" is probably the best science fiction film about machines ever created and it helped to make Arnold as big as he is. It's amazingly action-packed and has a very original plot. The acting is great and so are the special effects, considering this film is from '84. It's filled with thrills, chills and kick-[butt] action scenes! Definately buy it, it's worth the money! You'll have a blast!!!!!
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Summary: He's Back... For the First Time
Review: In 1984, a young woman's life is about to change in an unbelievable way. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) is a girl trying to make it in the world when all of the sudden, a man and a machine appear in her life, one trying to kill her, and one who will do anything to protect her. Kyle Reesce (Micheal Bein) is a soldier sent back through time by Connor's unborn son John who's mission is to stop a T-800 series Terminator (Arnold Can't-Spell-His-Last-Name Schwarzzenegar) from killing her, thus killing John. John is the leader of the human resistance against an army of hostile machines that have nearly destroyed the human race. The Terminator is a state-of-the-art machine with living human tissue surrounding a metal endoskeleton that feels no pain, no pity, and will never stop until Connor is dead or it is destroyed. For such a low budget, this movie is very well done. The story is very well-written, the actors are great, especially Arnold, and for the money they had, the special effects aren't too shabby. In fact, this movie was so well-received that it granted its sequels the two highest budgets in film history. This is a classic sci-fi movie that won't disappoint. Oh, speaking of classic, look for all of the old 80's fashions, just for fun.
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